The top 6 clubs in the 2008-2009 English Football League One season are shown on the map. On the right are the two automatically promoted clubs, Leicester City FC and Peterborough United FC. On the left are the four playoff clubs competing for the third promotion spot. At the top right are the average attendances of the clubs on the map, listed numerically in context of the league averages…2008-’09 League One average attendances {click here (Tony’s English Football site)}.

Thanks to Colours of Football site, for the kits {click here (set and England)}.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site, for gate figures {click here}.

Thanks to WebbAviation.co.uk {click here (set at Aerial photographs of Leicester)}. Thanks to the Stadium Guide.com {click here}. Thanks to remarkablepeople.co.uk {click here (set at “…all the place we have been [sic]“)}. Thanks to soccervoice.com {click here}.

Wolves clinched a spot for the 2008-’09 Premier League on 18th April. The club from the West Midlands returns to the top flight for the first time since their one-season stint in 2003-’04.

On Sunday, 3rd May, yo-yo club Birmingham City snapped out of their poor late-season form and won the second automatic promotion spot on the last day of the season, with a 2-1 win over Reading, with their eventual winning goal coming from veteran striker Kevin Phillips.

Meanwhile, Preston North End, the club that had put BCFC in that must-win situation with a late winning goal the week before, continued their late-season surge and wrested the final playoff spot, via a 2-1 win over QPR, and courtesy of the late-season collapse of Cardiff City, who finished with 3 straight defeats. Defender Sean St. Ledger headed in the winner for Preston, with 15 minutes to go.

With that goal, Preston North End edged Cardiff City on total goals, the second tie-breaker after their equal goal difference (of plus-12). Preston had 54 goals, Cardiff had 53 goals.

Football League play-off predictions, from the Guardian.co.uk {click here}.

The top 7 clubs in the 2008-2009 English Football League Two season are shown on the map. The three promoted clubs, Brentford FC, Exeter City FC, and Wycombe Wanderers FC, are shown on the right. The four playoff clubs competing for the fourth promotion spot are shown on the left.

On the upper right, there is a list of the 7 clubs’ average attendance this season.

League Two champions Brentford had the third highest average attendance in the league, at 5,707 [for the full list of League Two attendances, {click here}]. This club, from the London Borough of Hounslow, had it’s heyday in the 1930′s, when the Bees reached the First Division (in 1933) and two years later finished in 5th place (in 1935-’36). Brentford ended up having a 5-season run in the English top flight, and had a peak average attendance of 25,768 in 1946-’47 (this was the first English Football League season following World War II, and there were dramatic attendance increases throughout the country). But by 1962, Brentford had dropped to the old Fourth Division. Since then, the club has largely stayed in the 3rd and 4th Levels. In the last 20 seasons, the Bees have spent 3 seasons in the 4th Level, 16 seasons in the 3rd Level, and 1 season in the 2nd Level. That was in 1992-’93, when Brentford drew 8,456 per game. Griffin Park is Brentford’s home. It is a compact ground with a pub on each corner.

Exeter City has won promotion two straight seasons now. The club, from the League football-deficient West Country, have never risen higher than the 3rd Level, so the Grecians return to this level next season makes for some heady times in this corner of Devon. I can’t be certain, due to the lack of lower league attendance figures prior to 1990, but the club seems to have had their best season ever at the turnstiles, with a 4,939 average gate. Exeter’s best gate figures from 1989-’90 to 2007-’08 was when they won the Fourth Division in 1989-’90, drawing 4,859 per game.

Wycombe‘s form dipped in the last third of the season, and the Wanderers backed into their promotion, but that didn’t stop 9,625 from attending their final home match last Saturday (a 1-2 loss to basement-dwelling Notts County).

Gillingham‘s drop in gate figures (to 5,307 per game) can be attributed to their relegation from League One in 07/08, but it must be noted that the club drew 9,600 last Saturday. Shrewsbury Town had only a small increase at the turnstiles (to 5,664 per game) despite their good season, because their gate figures from 07/08 had shot up, as the club had just moved in to New Meadow.

Bury and Rochdale are two clubs from neighboring towns in the northern part of Greater Manchester {see this map of Greater Manchester, here}. Rochdale has spent 35 straight seasons in the 4th Level. The Dale made it to the League two playoff final last season, losing to Stockport County. Bury, known as the Shakers, were in the 2nd Level as recently as 1999 (when it was called the Nationwide League Division One). The club drew 6,179 in 1997-’98. But for years, both these clubs’ fan bases have dwindled, overshadowed as they are by the hugely successful and well-supported Manchester United, and the hapless yet still decently supported Manchester City. Two interesting things about Bury are that their Gigg Lane ground is also home to the 6th Level Non-League club FC United of Manchester; and the fact that Phil and Gary Neville’s father Neville Neville was a fomer chairman of Bury FC, and still works for the club as a non-paid jack-of-all trades, at Gigg Lane.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site for the gate figures{click here}. Thanks to EFS site, for older gate figues {click here}. Thanks to the Footy-Mad sites, for their invaluable league history sections on each club {click here (set at Bury FC League history)}.

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The 2008-’09 Conference season went down to the wire. Burton Albion just held on to win the league and gain the sole automatic promotion. Burton’s form had plummeted following ex-manager Nigel Clough’s January exit. It will be the Staffordshire club’s first-ever appearance in the Football League. The town of Burton upon Trent did once have League representation, though, from 1892 to 1910, with Burton Swifts and Burton United. BSFC merged with Burton Wanderers to form BUFC, in 1901, but the club folded in 1910.

Burton Albion were formed in 1950. The club was promoted from the 6th Level Southern League, to the Conference, in 2002. They moved into the all-mod-cons Pirelli Stadium in 2005. This ground has a capacity of 6,500, 2,000 of which is seated. Burton upon Trent is located in Staffordshire, 38 km. (23 miles) north of Birmingham. It sort of sits on the divide between the East Midlands and the West Midlands. The town’s population is 61,000 (2001 estimate), and is best known for it’s brewing heritage. It is currently home to 5 brewers {see this}. So one can see why the club is called the Burton Albion Brewers.

Four clubs will battle for the second promotion spot. The four playoff clubs are a good representation of the rather wide variation of clubs in the 5th Level these days. Two clubs, Torquay United and Cambridge United, boast League history.

Cambridge United have spent 35 seasons in the League, including 9 seasons in the 2nd Level. CUFC were relegated out of the League, to the Conference, in 2005. The club boasts a decent sized fan base, and had the second highest average attendance in the Conference in 08/09, drawing 3,410 per game. The highest average attendance CUFC attained was in 1991-92, when they began their last, 2-season spell in the old Division One (the 2nd Level), and drew 7,084 per game to the Abbey Stadium. This was the Cambridge United that featured in the influential book Fever Pitch, by Nick Hornby.

Torquay United spent 73 consecutive seasons in the League, but were never able to get higher than the 3rd Level. They were relegated in 2007, and made the playoffs last season, losing in the final to Exeter City. The club had a good FA Cup run this season, making it to the Fourth Round. {see this post I made in January, which includes a Torquay United gallery}.

One club, in the ’09 Conference playoffs, Histon, is a little over 100 years old, but has never been higher than this level, and this is just their second season in the Conference. The club is located just a couple miles outside of Cambridge. Their Bridge Road ground is the second-smallest ground in the League (Lewes’ ground was smaller, but they are going back down to the 6th Level in 09/10).

The fourth club in the Conference playoffs, Stevenage Borough, were formed relatively recently (in 1976), but have been trying for 15 years to get into the promised land of the League. [Note: Wikipedia has the wrong 08/09 home jersey design for SBFC; I would try to get it changed if I knew how, but it's pretty late in the season anyway.] Stevenage Borough were denied entrance to the League in 1993-’94), when they won the Conference, because their ground was not up to standards. Now Broadhall Way is one of the best grounds in Non-League football. Stevenage is in Hertfordshire, 43 km. (27 miles) north of London.

As far as average attendance goes, four of the top 8 drawing clubs in the Conference are on this map. Histon is the exception, and as they are near the bottom of the attendance list, the small club from the village of Impington can be seen as a club punching above their weight. But considering how Histon beat Leeds United in the FA Cup earlier this season, no one should be surprised if Histon advance in the playoffs.

Blue Square Premier League average attendance, 2008-2009 season {click here (ITV.stats.football) }. [Note: the top list is by percent capacity; the second list is by average.] For the second straight season, the highest-drawing Conference club was Oxford United. Had it not been for a five-point deduction for roster irregularities, Oxford would be in the playoffs right now, as the chairman groused about Monday {see this (BBC)}. Then he apoligized for calling the Conference “poxy” {see this}. He should realize that no club is too big for any league, something Leeds United fans, and maybe, Newcastle United fans, will need to come to grips with.

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The Conference playoffs begin Thursday, 30th April, with Stevenage Borough v. Cambridge United. The other match-up features Torquay United v. Histon, on Friday, 1st May. The second leg of both match-ups is on the following Monday, 4th May. The final will be at Wembley, date TBD.

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While on the subject of Non-League football, there is one story that should not go unmentioned…the fourth promotion in seven years for AFC Wimbledon {see this article, by David Conn in the Guardian.co.uk site}.

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Thanks to Tony’s English Football site for gate figures and fixtures information {click here}. Thanks to the contributors to the pages at Wikipedia {click here (set at Conference National page)}. Thanks to BoroGuide.com {click here}, for the information on the 08/09 kit. Thanks to Flick.com {click here}. Thanks to Panoramio.com {click here}. Thanks to the Geobytes site, for their City Distance tool {click here}. Thanks to the footy-mad site, for League history of clubs {click here}. Thanks to Jeremy at Albion Road site {click here}, for finding the first site last Sunday that had the Conference playoffs schedule (at Tony’s English Football site, of course).

March 30, 2009

Here is an article on England coach Fabio Capello’s initial squad selection of 23rd March, from the Guardian UK site {click here}. In the next few days, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, and Ledley King himself, made it clear that King’s selection was not sustainable. Here is more on King’s future with the squad, from the Telegraph UK site, by Joe Ley {click here}.

Now Emile Heskey is injured, and Capello has called up Tottenham’s Darren Bent. Here is an article on the striker situation, from 30th March, from the Guardian UK site, by Dominic Fifield {click here}.

On 31st March, Capello called up Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor to fill the striker shortage.

England plays Ukraine Wednesday 1st April, at Wembley, in a crucial World Cup qualifier. Here is an article, from 29th March, on Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin, who has scored 11 goals in 20 games for surprise Bundesliga leaders Hertha Berlin {click here (Ukrainiansoccer.net)}.

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The 5th Level of English football is still popularly known as the Conference, although for sponsorship reasons, it’s been officially called the Blue Square Premier League since the summer of 2007. The Alliance Premier League, established for the 1979-1980 season, was the first attempt to create, for the 5th Level, a fully national league under the Football League (which is Levels 1 through 4 of the English football pyramid). Clubs were drawn from the Northern Premier League and the Southern League. 7 years later, the Alliance changed it’s name to the Football Conference. That same season, 1986-87, the League (ie, Levels 1-4) recognized the marked improvement in the quality of play in the 5th Level by finally accepting direct promotion and relegation between the Conference and the League. In the late spring of 1987, Scarborough became the first club to be promoted to the League, supplanting Lincon City. [Scarborough FC is now defunct, they were wound up in June, 2007.] In 2002-03, a second promotion spot was added, decided by a four-team playoff competition.

[ At the end of each season, two Conference clubs are promoted, and two 4th Level League clubs are relegated. Concurrently, four Conference clubs are relegated to either the Conference-North or the Conference-South, and four clubs, two from each of these 6th Level Leagues, are promoted to the Conference. ]

Up until then, for the first century of professional football in England, Non-League clubs had to apply for election to the League. As the League expanded to a 2nd Level (the Second Division, in 1892-93), to a 3rd Level (the Third Division, in 1920-21), and to a 4th Level (the Fourth Division, in 1958-59), the promotion/ relegation gate was kept shut below these levels.

The belated implementation of promotion/ relegation, in 1986-87, between Levels 4 and 5, has proven to be a fair development, as this list shows {Click here (list from Wikipedia: ‘Former Conference clubs now in The Football League‘) }. There are 5 clubs on the list that have risen two levels above the Conference, to League One…Carlisle United, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Hereford United, and Yeovil Town. And there is one former Conference club that has risen 3 levels: Doncaster Rovers. Had election to the League remained in force, what are the odds that all these clubs would have been elected to the League during the last 22 seasons ? Nil. And the fact that some rather good-sized clubs are now stuck in the Conference, like Oxford United, further attests to the improvement in the standard of play in the 5th Level.

Currently, all but one of the 24 clubs in the Conference have played just over half their 46-game season. Staffordshire’s Burton Albion currently lead the Conference, by 13 points. The Brewers seem destined for their first promotion to the League. However, Burton just lost their manager, Nigel Clough, to struggling 2nd Level club Derby County (a club Nigel’s legendary father Brian managed four decades ago).

Currently in the four playoff places are…2nd place: Histon, a tiny club from just outside of Cambridge, in just their second season in the 5th Level. The Stutes made it to the FA Cup Third Round this season, beating fallen giants Leeds United in the Second Round, before bowing out to Swansea City. Histon and newcomers Lewes have the two smallest grounds in the Conference, both have capacities under 4,000. 3rd place: Kidderminster Harriers (from Worcester, about 15 miles south-west of Birmingham). The Harriers recently had a 5-season spell in the League, which ended in 2005. 4th place: Torquay United, a former Third and Fourth Division club (with a 73-consecutive seasons spell in the League, ending in 2007). Torquay are also still alive in the FA Cup Fourth Round (as is Kettering Town). Torquay hail from the Dorset coast, on ‘England’s Riviera’ (a pretentious phrase, I know, but palm trees do grow there, and it is a bit posh and touristy). 5th place: Cambridge United. A sizable club, for his level, with the third highest average gate this season (Oxford United gets the biggest crowds by far, and another former League club, Wrexham, gets the second largest gates). Cambridge United had a 17-season spell in the League (including 8 seasons in the 2nd Level). The club figured prominently, circa 1980′s-1990′s, in the genre-defining book “Fever Pitch” by Nick Hornby.

Note: on the map, I have added two small rectangular boxes, above (if applicable) and below each club’s kits. The upper box lists if and when the club was ever in the League. The lower box lists when and how the club became a current member of the Conference, whether by promotion from the Conference-North or Conference-South (the 6th Level)…depicted with a blue-edged box, or relegated from the League…depicted with a red-edged box. There is no club that has been in the Conference throughout it’s whole 29-season history. Northwich Victoria, from Cheshire, have been in the Conference for the most seasons: 28 (voluntary relegation in 2005/ promotion back to the Conference in 2006). Altrincham, from Greater Manchester, have been in the Conference for a total of 24 seasons. Kidderminster have been in the Conference for 23 seasons (and are the only one of the 7 founding members of the Alliance/current members of the Conference to have since gained a promotion to the League, for a 5-season span ending in 2005). These three clubs were founding members of the Alliance Premier League (now called the Conference) in 1979. Four more clubs currently in the Conference were also founding members…Barrow, Gravesend and Northfleet (now called Ebbsfleet United), Kettering Town, and Weymouth.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site {Click here}. Thanks to Conferencegrounds.co.uk {Click here}.

Thanks to the family of FootyMad.net sites, for their invaluable League History sections on each club {Click here…set at clubs in the Conference}. And thanks to the Football Conference History Database for having the list of the first 7 seasons in the Alliance/ Conference {Click here}.

Finally, thanks to those anonymous persons who have taken the time to contibute to Wikipedia’s pages on Conference clubs…this was the only place I could find a full set of kits for the 2008-09 Conference season.

5. Stockport County: 37 pts.; 6,139 avg. attendance (up 8.8%). The Greater Manchester-based Stockport County are one of four English Football clubs to be fully owned by their supporters (the other three are AFC Telford United, AFC Wimbledon, and FC United of Manchester). Manager Jim Gannon has shown that County have a real chance of back-to-back promotions. Craig Davies: 5 league goals, 6 overall (English-born Welsh international). 6. Oldham Athletic: 37 pts.; 5,846 avg. attendance (up 9.8%). English-born former Irish international Jim Sheridan has the Latics back in the playoff places in this his third season at the helm. Lee Hughes: 11 league goals (former West Bromwich striker, before his 2004 conviction and imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving). 7. Peterborough United: 37 pts.; 6,872 avg. attendance (up 14.6%). Sir Alex’s son Derek Ferguson continues to keep the Posh on an upward course; they seem headed for the League Championship in the next few seasons. Craig Mackail-Smith: 14 league goals, 16 overall (ex-St. Albans and Dagenham & Redbridge). 8. Tranmere Rovers: 33 pts.; 5,666 avg. attendance (down 12.9%). Manager Ronnie Moore needs to keep the Merseyside club on a more even keel this season. Last season, Rovers started out strong then faded. Ryan Shotton: 4 league goals, 5 overall (defender on loan from Stoke City).

9. Leeds United: 32 pts.; 18,990 (down 12.5%). The huge West Yorkshire club is at a very low point in the club’s history. Sunday, the club sacked manager Gary McAllister, after a run of 5 straight losses (including an FA Cup 2nd Round match versus the tiny Non-League club Histon) {see this}. Many supporters may feel Leeds are too big for the 3rd division, but it looks like they are going to have to get used to it for at least another season. Jermaine Beckford: 12 league goals, 19 overall (released by Chelsea, he made his mark at Isthmian League club Wealdstone, where he netted 35 times in 40 games; has chosen to stay with Leeds rather than join a club in the upper divisions). 10. Huddersfield Town: 32 pts; 12,819 avg. attendance (up 36.5%). This is the West Yorkshire club’s Centenary season. Special 100-pound season ticket offers have swelled the gate figures, and Town are in decent form, especially considering the recent managerial change. Ex-Norwich City assistant coach Lee Clarke is the new manager. Gary Roberts: 5 league goals, 7 overall (on loan from Crewe Alexandra). 11. Hartlepool United: 29 pts.; 3,762 avg. attendance (down 16.5%). Speaking of coaching changes, Pools has a caretaker manager, Chris Turner. Joel Porter: 7 league goals, 12 overall (Australian international; with Hartlepool since 2003, with 40 goals). 12. Northampton Town: 28 pts.; 5,195 avg. attendance (down 4.0%). Manager is Stuart Gray. Last season, the Cobblers under Gray had their highest finish in a decade, at 9th in League One. Adebayo Akinfenwa: 6 league goals, 8 overall (the London-born striker played for 8 clubs, including the Lithuainian club FK Atlantas, before joining Northampton this season).

Here are the other top scorers in League One…Rickie Lambert (Bristol Rovers): 18 league goals (Merseyside-born; acquired from Rochdale). Simon Cox (Swindon Town): 13 league goals, 16 overall (Reading-born; came up through Reading’s youth system). Danny Graham (Carlisle United): 11 league goals, 12 overall (born and raised in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; started with Middlesbrough).

Thanks to European Football Statistics {Click here (set at 2007-’08 English Football League gate figures) }. Thanks to Tony’s English Football Site {Click here}.

Thanks to Historical Football Kits, for the kits on the map {Click here}.

November 29, 2008

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I have never made a map of the top two divisions in England, so this was a good opportunity to do so. Plus, you can see each club’s gate figures, and the percentage change from last season. Late Sunday I will post the map of the Second Round Proper, updated.

Thanks to Tony’s English Football site, for the gate figures (which are from 25th November, 2008), {Click here}.

Fixtures, results {Click here (BBC site) }. The English FA Cup, Second Round Proper starts this weekend, with 2 matches scheduled for Friday, 15 matches for Saturday, and two for Sunday. One of the matches Friday is Barrow AFC v. Brentford FC, to be broadcast on Setanta. Barrow-in-Furness is up in the north-west of England, in Cumbria. Barrow are in the Conference this season, currently struggling, in 17th place; Brentford (from Hounslow, in west London) are playing well in League Two, in 6th place. Thanks to Tims 92 site {Click here}. Thanks to dub steps site. Here is the visit to Barrow AFC that dub steps (formerly Hobo Tread) site made {Click here}.

Here is a profile of Hoker Street ground from the BBC Non-league show page {Click here}. .

November 6, 2008

[Chart now includes 2008-2009 League Cup Title and 2008-2009 Premier League Title, both to Manchester United; and 2008-2009 FA Cup Title, to Chelsea.]

This chart measures major trophies won by English football clubs, since the first FA Cup Final, in 1872, up to the 2008 Champions League Final of 21st May, 2008. The clubs’ kits are shown in descending size, to represent major trophies won.

Six different titles are represented, with three of these titles given half weight.

Shown are the top 26 currently existing League clubs. When two or more clubs were tied on total weighted trophies (ie, 2 points for League Title, FA Cup, or Champions League Title; 1 point for League Cup, UEFA Cup, or Cup Winners’ Cup), I listed the most recent title-winner first. This occurred four times: between #’s 10.-11., #’s 12.-13., #’s 18.-21., and #’s 23.-24.

Defunct, or Amatuer/ Non-League clubs who won FA Cups in the 19th Century are listed at the far right, bottom. The first FA Cup took place on 16th March, 1872 {see this}. The match was won by Wanderers FC {see this}, who hailed from Battersea Park, south-west London. They defeated Royal Engineers 1-0, at Kennington Oval, in Lambeth, south London. There were less than 2,000 spectators. Here is a nice account, from the FA- CupFinals site [Note, when you click to the site, go to the blue bar at far left, and click on "1870s" below the 'Final Details' list {Click here}.

As it happens, every football club that has won the English Title made the top 26. [On the list of trophies below each club's kit, the English Title is referred to as "League Title".] Two clubs that have never won the English Title are in the top 26: Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. The Trotters have won the FA Cup 4 times, the last a half-century ago in 1958. Bolton’s highest league finish was one season later, in 1959, when they finished in 4th place. They did manage a 6th place finish in 2005. The Hammers have won 3 FA Cups (their last in 1980) and a Cup Winners’ Cup (in 1965); the East London club’s best league finish was 5th place in 1999.

There are 9 currently existing clubs that have won just one FA Cup, but no other major trophies. They are listed at the far right of the chart, at the top. There are similarly 9 clubs that have won League Cups, but no other major trophies, including Leicester City, who have won the League Cup 3 times, and Norwich City, winners of this trophy twice (see far right, center).